1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a communication processing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, information processing apparatuses (e.g., mobile phones) have been commercialized that are equipped with a short-range wireless communication functionality via interfaces such as IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN and Bluetooth®. In addition, a mobile phone has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-180077 that is equipped with a function (data transfer service) of relaying data via short-range wireless communication and public network communication and connecting a terminal (short-range wireless communication terminal) that is connected via short-range wireless communication and a terminal (network terminal) located on the Internet. With this proposal, data transmission and reception between a short-range wireless communication terminal and a network terminal becomes possible.
Conventionally, for relay terminals that relay data between a plurality of interfaces, techniques have been proposed in which, if a failure occurs in communication performed by one interface, another interface carries out the process or processes associated with the failure (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-156689, 2008-92600 and 2007-267138). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-156689 has proposed, for access points, a technique in which an apparatus connected with a wireless interface is disconnected when a connection to a node connected with a wired interface is disconnected. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-92600 has disclosed, for hands-free telephone intercom systems in which a telephone device is wirelessly connected to a mobile phone, a technique for controlling the status of connection to the other telephone apparatus according to the status of wireless connection between the mobile phone and the telephone device. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-267138 has disclosed, for relay apparatuses that support a tunneling technique for connecting networks, a technique for managing the status of connection of a tunnel that is used in a shared manner by a plurality of terminals within a network by monitoring the status of use of the tunnel by the terminals.
It is expected that, in the future, mobile phones will provide, in addition to the data transfer service described above, a plurality of services to other communication terminals. Such services include services that use only short-range wireless communication and services that use both short-range wireless communication and public network communication. It is also expected that such services will be used simultaneously by a plurality of communication terminals that are connected to such a mobile phone.
The above conventional techniques, however, do not give consideration to a relay apparatus that simultaneously executes a plurality of different services.
In addition, mobile phones are required to reduce power consumption as much as possible, so it is desirable that mobile phones control communication while taking power consumption into consideration when providing services to other communication terminals.